The 19th edition of the Doha Forum 2019 concluded yesterday. The two-day forum which is a global platform for dialogue, was held this year under the theme “Reimagining Governance in a Multipolar World”, in the presence of opinion leaders and policymakers from around the world, to discuss the challenges facing our world, and put forward applicable innovative solutions.
The closing session witnessed a speech delivered by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran H E Javad Zarif, in which he stressed the importance of the Doha Forum in providing a unique opportunity to reflect on ways to get us out of the impasse in the region.
He spoke of what he called the “perceptual turmoil” that deludes a person to benefit at the expense of his neighbour and that his security is based on chaos among others, and he indicated the disparity of powers and their disastrous consequences, citing as an example the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
The Iranian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of dialogue, respect for the sovereignty of States, non-interference in their internal affairs, rejection of force and methods of repression, and agreement on work teams to find solutions and establish cooperation and draw a road map for the future with the establishment of areas free of weapons of destruction, confidence-building between countries, water management, nuclear safety and freedom of maritime navigation.
After the speech of the Iranian Foreign Minister, the Doha Forum 2019 celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations by holding a session addressed by President of the United Nations General Assembly H E Tijjani Muhammad-Bande and H E Ban Ki-moon, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, and a number of UN officials and organizations of public benefit.
Speakers noted that the United Nations, despite its crises and criticism, is a symbol of pluralism and is the basis on which the world rests on many issues that threaten humanity. It intervened to resolve conflicts and established many important principles for humanity, and promoted people’s awareness of climate change and environmental issues, ending slavery, empowering women and people with disabilities, and protecting children.
They stressed the importance of involving youth and women in achieving development goals and promoting pluralism and social inclusion through cooperation with civil society organizations and the private sector to put an end to what drives people to migrate and be displaced.
